Question 1

Antonio is stung by a bee during a trip. After that incident, he develops a fear of bees and hides whenever he sees one. These brief encounters with bees may result in a(n)  _____ in Antonio's fear response, which illustrates the process known as _____.

Accepted Answer

C) increase; incubation. Incubation refers to the process where brief exposures to the feared stimulus without a negative outcome can actually increase the fear response over time. In Antonio's case, his fear of bees becomes stronger with each encounter, illustrating the incubation effect.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios illustrates the influence of temperament on the development of phobias?

Accepted Answer

Temperament refers to the inherent aspects of an individual's personality, such as their emotional reactivity and intensity. The scenario with Burton and Benny illustrates how individual differences in temperament can influence the level of fear or phobia one might have towards something, in this case, heights, without implying that the fear was learned or influenced by external factors like social learning or specific experiences.

Question 3

The process of _____ is the strengthening of a conditioned fear response as a result of _____ exposures to an aversive CS.

Accepted Answer

Incubation is the process where a conditioned fear response is strengthened after brief exposures to the conditioned stimulus (CS) without the unconditioned stimulus (US).

Question 4

People acquire a fear of snakes easily as opposed to a fear of birds. This is an example of the effect of _____. Certain people acquire a fear of snakes more easily than other people do. This is an example of the effect of _____.

Accepted Answer

The first statement illustrates the concept of preparedness, which suggests that humans are more predisposed to fear certain stimuli (like snakes) that have historically posed a threat to survival. The second statement highlights the role of temperament, indicating that individual differences, such as personality traits, can affect how easily one acquires fears.

Question 5

Researchers have found that monkeys can develop fear reactions through observational learning when the feared object is a _____ event.

Accepted Answer

Monkeys can develop fear reactions through observational learning when the feared object is fear-relevant, such as snakes, which are naturally threatening to them.

Question 6

The concept of _____ refers to an innate disposition to learn certain types of behaviors or certain types of associations more easily than others.

Accepted Answer

Preparedness is the concept that refers to an organism's innate predisposition to learn certain types of behaviors or associations more easily than others, often as a result of evolutionary pressures.

Question 7

Arlo was once attacked by a crow in a marketplace. After that incident, he develops a fear of crows and runs away each time he encounters one. According to the concept of _____, Arlo's withdrawal may result in a(n) _____ in his fear response.

Accepted Answer

The concept of incubation suggests that avoidance behaviors, like Arlo running away from crows, can actually increase the fear response over time because the fear is not confronted and thus may grow stronger.

Question 8

During a counseling session, Stan is told that he has been permanently damaged by the abuse he suffered as a child. After the session, he starts experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In this scenario, Stan's behavior illustrates the process of _____.

Accepted Answer

US revaluation occurs when the intensity of an unconditioned stimulus (US) is changed, leading to a change in the conditioned response (CR). In this case, being told about the permanent damage re-evaluates the impact of the past abuse, intensifying Stan's response.

Question 9

Shawna is terrified of cats as she was bitten by a cat in her childhood. She consciously avoids encountering cats and leaves places quickly if she happens to see one. As explained by the process of _____, these brief encounters may _____ Shawna's fear of cats.

Accepted Answer

Incubation refers to the process where brief exposures to the feared object or situation can actually increase the fear associated with it. In Shawna's case, her brief encounters with cats could enhance her fear of cats, aligning with the concept of incubation.

Question 10

Valentine (1930) was unable to replicate Watson and Rayner's results when he attempted to condition his little daughter to become fearful of some inanimate objects. This provided some of the earliest evidence for the importance of _____ in phobic development.

Accepted Answer

Valentine's inability to replicate Watson and Rayner's results suggested that not all stimuli are equally likely to become associated with fear responses. This supports the concept of preparedness, which posits that organisms are evolutionarily predisposed to fear certain stimuli more than others, making it an important factor in the development of phobias.

Question 11

Through the process of _____, a person's reactivity to a potentially fearful stimulus could increase following exposure to an unrelated stressful event.

Accepted Answer

Selective sensitization explains how a person's reactivity to a potentially fearful stimulus can increase following exposure to an unrelated stressful event. This process suggests that stress can heighten an individual's sensitivity to certain stimuli, making them more likely to react fearfully.

Question 12

Through the process of selective sensitization, a person's fears may strengthen following exposure to

Accepted Answer

Selective sensitization is a process where a person becomes more sensitive to certain stimuli following exposure to a stressful event. This can lead to an increase in fears or anxieties related to those stimuli, as the person's nervous system is on a heightened state of alert.

Question 13

Valentine (1930) failed when he tried to produce a phobia in his young daughter by blowing a loud whistle when she touched certain objects. He speculated that this was because

Accepted Answer

Valentine's experiment likely failed because the objects chosen were not ones that people are naturally inclined to fear, suggesting that the inherent properties of the stimulus play a significant role in the conditioning process.

Question 14

US revaluation can strengthen a phobia through

Accepted Answer

US revaluation can strengthen a phobia through direct exposure to a stronger unconditioned stimulus (US), observational learning (seeing someone else react fearfully), and verbally transmitted information (hearing about dangers or negative experiences). All these methods can enhance the fear response associated with a phobia.

Question 15

The ease with which a conditioned fear response is acquired can be affected by _____.

Accepted Answer

All of these factors - temperament, observational learning, and selective sensitization - can influence how easily a conditioned fear response is acquired. Temperament can predispose individuals to be more or less reactive to fear stimuli, observational learning allows individuals to acquire fears by watching others, and selective sensitization increases sensitivity to certain stimuli following exposure to an unrelated stressful event.

Question 16

In an experiment, subjects were exposed to subliminally presented pictures paired with an electric shock. Researchers found that the subjects subsequently displayed signs of conditioned anxiety when the pictures were of

Accepted Answer

Snakes and spiders are more likely to be associated with fear and anxiety due to evolutionary predispositions, making them more effective in conditioning experiments involving anxiety.

Question 17

Heather was mildly nervous about skiing after she slightly twisted her ankle during a skiing session. Later, she suffered a serious and painful leg injury in a boating accident. After full recovery, she is now fearful of both boating and skiing. Heather's behavior illustrates the process of _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Heather was mildly nervous about skiing after...

Question 18

The process of _____ is the strengthening of a conditioned fear response as a result of brief exposures to an aversive CS.

Accepted Answer

Incubation refers to the process where the conditioned fear response becomes stronger over time through brief exposures to the conditioned stimulus (CS), without the need for the unconditioned stimulus (US) to be presented again. This phenomenon suggests that even minimal or short exposures to a fear-inducing stimulus can lead to an increase in the intensity of the conditioned fear response.

Question 19

Aaron is more reactive to loud noises and sudden events than Kevin is. Using the terminology provided in the text, we would say that there seems to be a difference in _____ between Aaron and Kevin. This difference is to a large extent _____.

Accepted Answer

Temperament refers to basic emotional and personality characteristics that are believed to have a genetic basis, indicating that the difference in reactivity between Aaron and Kevin could be attributed to their inherent temperamental differences.

Question 20

Although Jolene was always mildly nervous while driving, she became extremely frightened of driving after witnessing a terrible car accident. Jolene's behavior is best described as an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although Jolene was always mildly nervous while...

Quiz 5: Classical Conditioning Underlying Processes in Classical Conditioning

Antonio is stung by a bee during a trip. After that incident, he develops a fear of bees and hides whenever he sees one. These brief encounters with bees may result in a(n) _ in Antonio's fear response, which illustrates the process known as _.